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This view of the back wall of a newer section of Pueblo Bonito shows the finer construction methods of later periods. Gone are the heavy slabs of mortar. Instead, we see the
walls constructed with much less mortar, and finished in a stone veneer of alternating courses of thick and thin stone. This lent a sophisticated beauty to the stone walls. It is all the more impressive that the
Chacoans spent the effort to create
this stone veneer because the entire wall would then be covered with decorated plaster.
I think it says a lot about the craftsmanship of the Chacoans who built
such beautiful stone walls, even though they were to be hidden in plaster. There appears to be an
understanding that beauty is a thing of value in itself, even when it cannot be
seen. This has parallels with the values of the Shaker communities of the
Northeast and upper Midwest. |
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